The Health service journal
-
A pilot electronic booking project for outpatient appointments at King's College Hospital, London, has been well received by consultants. But only a minority of practices are taking part--only 24 of the 160 local practices are participating. ⋯ GPs accustomed to traditional referral letters find electronic referrals a big step. More day-to-day support might encourage GP involvement.
-
The rise in emergency admissions has been 2-3 per cent over the last 20 years and shows no sign of abatement. Medical emergencies account for most of the increase Emergency admissions should be divided into short and long stays. This type of analysis shows that the bulk of the increase in emergency admissions has been for short-stay patients. Better understanding of emergency admissions should help hospitals improve their ward distribution.
-
The establishment of a network for critical care services in five hospitals has led to a decrease in transfers of patients for non-clinical reasons. There have been no transfers outside the network's area. ⋯ The introduction of the network has standardised data collection. The availability of extra funds and facilities was a big incentive to staff involvement.